A Battle of Wits and Courage

Mount Asama, on the Yamaguchi.

With the decision made, Taiichi no longer hesitated and created Shadow Clone to return to Konoha.

The user then looks at the Attribute Panel.

[Fire Nature Transformation Lv13 (4883/5000)]

After several days of hard work, the progress has been considerable; now only 117 experience points are needed to reach Lv14.

However, look at what we just learned.

[Understand nature, learn from nature, and your understanding of Fire Nature Transformation will improve!]

[Fire Nature Transformation +4]

Now, each cultivation session only yields 4 experience points, causing Taiichi to secretly worry.

I originally thought the training schedule would only take ten days or so, but now I don't know how long it will be delayed.

However, Taiichi also figured out the reason: it's just like people who love sweets don't think what they're eating is very sweet.

My senses are already familiar with everything here, and I can no longer gain anything from it.

The experience points gained will naturally decrease; ultimately, this number is merely a quantification of what Taiichi has gained.

"It doesn't matter if it takes a little longer; luckily, I have plenty of time right now."

On the other side, in Konoha.

Mizuki led a group of girls, young and old, away from Taiichi and walked along the street toward the bustling city.

"Sister Mizuki, will we be following Taiichi from now on?"

The youngest girl's face was filled with fear and anxiety about the future.

Mizuki smiled warmly, gently patted the girl's shoulder, and whispered comfortingly, "Didn't we already agree? Now is not the time to hesitate. Remember, from now on we will all belong to Taiichi."

37

During their time as prisoners of war, Mizuki, as their Captain, also gained valuable experience.

Even though she herself was filled with trepidation, she gave everyone absolute courage on the surface.

With Mizuki around, everyone felt much more at ease.

The group of 22 people also traveled through the streets and alleys in a grand procession, purchasing the supplies they needed.

Shopping is a woman's greatest pleasure in any world, and the prosperity of Konoha far surpasses that of Kirigakure.

The wide variety of goods and the lively atmosphere of the market quickly immersed the women in the joy of shopping.

Taiichi provided ample funds, enough for them to purchase all the necessary supplies without any problem.

However, such a large group of people naturally attracted the attention of the Military Police Force very quickly.

They patrol the streets all day long. Although they can't possibly know every Konoha, they can still get a pretty good idea of who's who in their own territory.

Especially now, with a gathering of 22 people at once.

Soon, a squad of Military Police Force ninjas blocked the women's path.

"Are you Konoha? Show me your identification."

The women were clearly frightened by the sudden appearance of the Military Police Force ninjas, and the younger ones hid behind the group.

Their actions undoubtedly increased the suspicion of the ninja Military Police Force. Normal Konoha, even if they were afraid of the Military Police Force, would not show any panic.

"Gentlemen, we are not yet villagers of Konoha."

Mizuki, on the other hand, seemed quite relaxed. Having been on the battlefield, she was no longer the timid Mizuki she used to be. Moreover, she now had people behind her, so she was much more confident.

The four Military Police Force ninjas had already surrounded them. Upon hearing that they were not Konoha, their hands unconsciously went to their weapons.

Mizuki noticed their wariness and quickly handed over Taiichi's identification.

"We are Taiichi's subordinates, and we just arrived in Konoha today. Taiichi is currently processing our identification documents."

The leading ninja from the Military Police Force stared at Mizuki with suspicion. He glanced at the item Mizuki handed him, which appeared to be a ninja identification document.

Could the "Lord Taiichi" she spoke of be the same Lord she was thinking of?

The Military Police Force ninja cautiously stepped forward, took the ID, and his pupils contracted slightly as he glanced at it.

It really was Taichi Matsushita; the feel of the document in his hand told him it was genuine.

He held the document up to his eyes, checked its authenticity several times, and then lowered his guard before returning the document to Mizuki.

"Since they are Taiichi's subordinates, they are one of us. We should get their identification documents processed as soon as possible, otherwise things like this will happen frequently, and it would be bad if it caused a misunderstanding."

Mizuki accepted the documents and bowed to express her gratitude.

This was just a minor incident, but through it, Mizuki and the others realized just how powerful their backer was, which made them feel even more secure.

After everyone returned to Taiichi with their bags and packages, chose their rooms, and finished unpacking, the Sun Barrier had already set.

Inside the reception Reception Hall, everyone gathered once again.

Taiichi looked at the crowd standing in front of him and was quite satisfied. At least now, the apprehension he had shown when he first arrived was no longer visible on their faces.

"You are all Medical Ninja, so the most suitable place for you is naturally Konoha Hospital. Right now, the hospital is short-staffed, and I will find an opportunity to arrange for you to work there."

Before this, you studied and practiced at home, improving your abilities, and incidentally took care of cleaning the house.

0

This is also Taiichi's next arrangement for them, and the first step in his infiltration of power.

Konoha Hospital is a very important department. It is not a simple medical institution, but a comprehensive department that integrates multiple functions such as medical treatment, research, and drug supply. It is just that the name Konoha Hospital is easy to misunderstand.

The current dean is none other than the Hokage's wife, Sarutobi Biwako.

"We will obey your orders, sir!" everyone answered in unison.

The worst thing for a person is to be idle and without goals; if that goes on for too long, the person will slowly become useless.

The women were in this state before, in a daze, filled with fear.

Now that they have peace of mind and a clear plan for their lives, everyone's spirits have been greatly boosted.

"Starting tomorrow, I will dedicate one hour each day to teaching you. You must seize this opportunity and strive to improve yourselves."

This was also Taiichi's last advice to them: if they didn't seize this opportunity, they would only be able to remain servants in this courtyard for the rest of their lives.

The next day.

Taiichi arrived at the Hokage's Office very early, even earlier than Hiruzen Sarutobi.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi, he saw Taiichi who had arrived earlier, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

He only saw the report yesterday; Nara Shikaku had brought back 22 Mist Village prisoners from the front lines, and what's more, he even sent these prisoners to Taiichi.

Judging from Taiichi's unusual behavior now, he's probably here for those 22 prisoners from the Mist Village.

"Taiichi, this is quite a rare occasion; you arrived even earlier than me."

Seeing that the Hokage was just joking, Taiichi smiled and replied, "I have some personal matters to report to the Hokage-sama, so I naturally had to come early. I can't let my work be delayed."

Hiruzen Sarutobi a few steps forward, returned to his seat, and then looked at Taiichi again.

"You little rascal, you really don't waste a single moment."

He simply leaned back in his office chair, crossed his arms over his stomach, and revealed a rare relaxed expression.

"Speak, what do you need me for? While we still have time, I'll help you resolve it."

Taiichi naturally knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi had most likely known about the 22 prisoners long ago.

Both Shikaku's duty report and Tsunade's previous battle report mentioned these people.

But even if Hokage knows, you still need to explain in detail.

Taiichi then spent five minutes recounting the specific origins of these 22 people, their experiences, and his plans for them to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Of course, he only mentioned his public arrangements; he certainly wouldn't reveal his specific purpose.

Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered quietly. He had seen the report about the 22 Mist Village prisoners before.

At the time, these reports were scattered among different people and didn't receive much attention.

Now, after listening to Taiichi recount the whole story, he truly understood the cause and effect.

Therefore, his first reaction was that these 22 people were no longer of use to the village.

The reason is simple: they already bear too many marks belonging to Taiichi, especially the Curse Mark that controls people.

Even if Taiichi removes it, there's no guarantee that it won't leave any future problems.

There are countless secret techniques in the Ninja World for manipulating people, some of which are so complex that even the person being manipulated is unaware of when they were given these Genin.

This is probably why Tsunade and Jiraiya leave these 22 people in the village, but instead sent them directly to Taiichi.

These were just 22 purely Medical Ninja, and it was said that they had very little combat ability, posing no threat to the village.

Of course, from a certain perspective, there is not much difference between these people obeying Taiichi and obeying the village; it mainly depends on what the person in power thinks.

These thoughts flashed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind in an instant, and when he looked at Taiichi again, he had already made his decision.

"Aren't you planning to include them in Konoha's ninja roster?"

"Not for now. First, they have just entered Konoha and their loyalty has not been proven; second, judging from their previous performance, they are not suitable to become ninjas."

Since they all know Medical Ninjutsu, I think we should let them continue working at the Konoha Hospital, which is currently in dire need of manpower.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Taiichi with amusement, posing a probing question, "What? Your Curse Mark can't guarantee their loyalty?"

"The Curse Mark is merely a restriction and cannot distort a person's mind. If the person under the curse is prepared to die, then betrayal can still occur."

When the Curse Mark was first placed, one prisoner refused to submit and endured its torment until his death.

And this period of time was enough for her to do many things that harmed Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi. This explanation was acceptable. If there really were Curse Mark that could distort people's minds, that would be truly terrifying.

"Since that's the case, I won't say anything more. I'll leave these 22 people under your supervision. Although they are just Medical Ninja, a place like Konoha Hospital can't be taken lightly. You also need to take responsibility for supervising them."

"Yes, I will keep a close eye on their condition to ensure they do not pose any threat to Konoha."

Taiichi answered with great confidence.

In fact, if someone is placed under the Curse Mark by him and does not die from violent resistance at the time, their condition will gradually change due to the existence of the Genjutsu Seed and the pre-set conditions within the Genjutsu.

However, this process is quite lengthy and can be categorized as a natural change, without attracting the attention of others or even oneself.

Hiruzen Sarutobi then sat up straight again, tidying up the documents that had piled up on his desk and setting them aside.

He then took out a blank scroll, wrote on it the order to allow the 22 people to become Konoha, and handed it to Taiichi.

"Take this to the Civil Affairs Department to get an identity certificate. I heard they were stopped by the Military Police Force yesterday."

Taiichi paused as he took the scroll, a hint of surprise on his face. He really didn't know about this; Mizuki and the others hadn't told him yesterday either.

But the Hokage knew about this. You see, he stood behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, and he knew everyone the Hokage met.

Even so, there was still information he didn't know, which only shows that Hiruzen Sarutobi continued to work while he was away.

This inadvertently revealed the Hokage's control over the village, something that someone without power or position could never have imagined.

Taiichi calmly withdrew his hand, then created another Shadow Clone to handle the formalities. He put on his mask again and hid behind the Hokage to begin his day's guard duties.

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Taiichi walk away, shook his head, and looked on with envy.

"You've truly mastered the Shadow Clone. It's a pity not everyone has your talent. Even Teacher Tobirama himself couldn't use Shadow Clone for such a long time."

Taiichi did not answer; it was time for his work.

Taiichi, the Shadow Clone of the Shadow Clone, went straight to the Civil Affairs Department to obtain an identity certificate with the Hokage's warrant.

This wasn't Taiichi intentionally showing off; he was proving to the Hokage that the Taiichi in the office was his true form.

Don't mistake Taiichi's ability to create so many Shadow Clones for the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

In reality, Taiichi was always using the ordinary Shadow Clone Technique; it was only because Taiichi had enough Chakra and strong enough control that he achieved that effect.

The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique is classified as an S-rank forbidden technique, and Taiichi has never had the opportunity to learn it.

The fundamental difference between the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and the ordinary Shadow Clone Technique is that the "multiple" refers not only to the number of clones but also to the fact that the Shadow Clone can also use the Shadow Clone Technique.

This is the true meaning of multiplicity.

Taiichi also gradually figured out the trick to the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique after learning Senjutsu.

It can only be said that Senju Tobirama's reputation as a master of forbidden techniques was truly well-deserved.

--

The more one learns about the various Ninjutsu he developed, the more one admires him.

With this unintentional display, Hiruzen Sarutobi was able to lower his guard somewhat, after all, the conversation that day contained the Hokage's repeated probing and intimidation.

The process of obtaining Konoha's identity documents went very smoothly, not only because of the Hokage's warrant, but also because of Taiichi's own reputation.

What would normally be a one- or two-business-day process was greatly accelerated because Taiichi handled it personally.

In just about an hour, all the procedures were completed, and 22 brand-new Konoha identity certificates were handed to Taiichi.

Taiichi had nothing to say about such efficiency, after all, he himself was someone who enjoyed privileges.

It can only be said that Konoha still has many problems, but these are not things he can solve in his current position; everything must be left for the future.